There’s been much to do about the recent poll which suggested that Santa needs a brand new brand.
Twenty-seven percent of those polled, in fact, suggested that there needs to be gender-neutral Santa in the mix — which may work well with the gender neutral moniker Kris Kringle.
As I tell my boys, we don’t really know much about Santa Claus, except that his real name is Nicholas; that he lived in Turkey in the 4th century; and today lives forever in Heaven. No one has ever truly seen the venerated saint who today honors Jesus on Christmas Eve, interceding for people of goodwill by spreading joy and glad tidings too all.
All the stories we hear about the Santa Claus, I further explain, be it stories by Clement Clarke Moore, L. Frank Baum, or Rankin/Bass, are just that … stories — stories of who we think this secret gift-giver was and is.
One of the first true rebrandings of Santa Claus came in the 1600’s.
According to Christianity Today, Martin Luther replaced Saint Nicholas with the Christ Child, or, in German, Christkindl. To commemorate this, Luther gave his children toys and honey cakes at Christmas.
And so, the tradition of rebranding Santa began … and continues on to this day.
The truth is that the image of Santa Claus has been changing ever since 4th century sailors from Italy brought the relics of a Middle Eastern saint named Nicholas back home with them to Europe.
Since, every culture has embraced a Yuletide gift-giver who looks and sounds like the people he — or she — visits.
Yes, SHE!
Throughout Italy, the home of Rome, arguably the epicenter of Christianity, the gift-giver to children on the eve of the Feast of the Epiphany (Little Christmas or the 12th Day of Christmas) is a woman named Befana.
Ever suggest to a child that they were going to receive coal in their stocking for being bad? Well, that comes straight from Befana’s playbook.
Sadly, if any Christmas gift-giver could use a 21st century rebranding, it may be Befana.
So, should Santa be rebranded?
Well, using centuries of tradition as a guide, every home should follow their heart during the holiday season, and introduce a spirit of service and giving into their homes with a gift-giver that not only matches their own culture, but also reflects the diversity of those bearing gifts on the very first Christmas.
This theme runs through my books “Kwanzaa Klaus” and “Klaus – The Gift-giver to All!”
So, it seems to me, when it comes to the uproar about rebranding Santa Claus, there’s much to do about nothing.
James Henry is the author of Corporation YOU: A Business Plan for the Soul, Kwanzaa Klaus, Hail Mary series, and two children’s books: The Second Prince and Klaus: The Gift-giver to ALL! To contact James or book an interview, please contact Mark of Goldman/McCormick PR at (516) 639-0988 or Mark@goldmanmccormick.com.
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